Comics UK

Raven wrote:

stevezodiac wrote:Has anybody mentioned Sam's Spook? A Baxendale strip - forget which comic. Lion?

It was originally in Smash. I grew up reading reprints of it in Monster Fun (sometimes in full colour) and sundry Specials.

On the 'comic horror' front it's interesting to note that Baxendale's 'Sam's Spook', Parlett's 'Ghost Ship' and Mike Brown's 'The Haunts of Headless Harry' all debuted in the new-style Smash! during the first two weeks of February 1970.

- Phil R.

Ooh, I don't think I've ever seen Ghost Ship. Was it any good?

The Ghost ship I think I saw in Funny Fortnightly..a new Reg Parlett gem I've missed..Reg sure drew many different characters...

I don't have many Smash! so would be interesting to see..

Sam Spook was in Funny Fortnightly and remember the cloak he wore and the things that came out of his sleaves...lots of ghostly wind..


also Headless was in Funny..

Maybe I need to get some 1970's Smash!

Unfortunately Parlett only managed to draw the first episode of 'Ghost Ship'. Here's the second episode, by which time a lesser artist had already taken over (though Reg's version can still be seen in the header artwork).



- Phil R.

Raven wrote:

Niblet wrote:What was the name of the Reg Parlett strip set in a haunted school, where the ghosts would moan 'Go!! Begone!!' to try to get the kids and teachers to leave?

Fright School:

http://galleryofillustration.com/acatal ... ttFS1.html

Thanks, Raven

I've been trying to think of any comic horrors drawn by Sid Burgon - all I can come up with is Biddy's Beastly Bloomers. Did he do any others?

philcom55 wrote:Unfortunately Parlett only managed to draw the first episode of 'Ghost Ship'. Here's the second episode, by which time a lesser artist had already taken over (though Reg's version can still be seen in the header artwork).

- Phil R.

Thanks, Phil. It was the Parlett mention that threw me - seeing this brings it back. I know the strip from (reprints I assume, in) The Frankie Stein annual 1977! Headless Harry appears there, too. Though my favourite reprint in it is the fab Crabbe's Crusaders from Buster; I've wanted my own Crabbocraft ever since..

Niblet wrote:I've been trying to think of any comic horrors drawn by Sid Burgon - all I can come up with is Biddy's Beastly Bloomers. Did he do any others?

The Little Monsters in Monster Fun - http://www.toonhound.com/poster-5.htm -
which transferred to the front cover after a while.

And I'd have to check to be sure, but I think he did the Frankie Stein three panel gags which appeared on the cover for a few issues.

Sid also drew the Invisible Monster.

I thought you might like to see this strip, (The Ghosts of St.Gildas).I can not find any information about it. How long it ran for? Artist?

Anyone like to guess the comic title, it is from?

That strip looks quite similiar to Spookum Skool from DC Thomson's Cracker and Buzz.

Im guessing The Ghost of St Gildas is from Whizzer and Chips but only because it is in colour so its probably 1980s/1990s and it wasnt in Buster according to Bustercomic.co.uk

At a rough guess, I'd say it's from one of the 1970's IPC/Fleetway humour comics. The reason I don't say that it's from one of the DCT ones is that it is missing the usual DCT serial number that you find in the bottom panels.

It's definitely from a comic. If you look at the left of the picture, you can see the other page and annual pages do not wrinkle in that fashion. (Yes, I need to get out more!)

I recognise the artist as he has drawn a lot of the humour stories that you would find in the Hotspur on a weekly basis such as The Winners, but I am stumped if I can find his name anywhere.

That last strip is from the same artist who drew 'Minnie's Mixer' on the back page of very early 'Whizzer and Chips' from 1969 on: he also drew a 60s incarnation of 'Buster' on the front and back page [from the 'Buster's Diary' period].

The artist had a Spanish name I forget---some on here must be familiar with it though [a very attractive style, I always thought].

Àngel Nadal
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buster_Capp

Considering the number of American publishers who produced their own unauthorized copies of Casper the Friendly Ghost it's surprising that there were so few versions here in the UK. So far 'The Adventures of Sydney Pook' is the first candidate I've been able to find - a strip that ran every week for several years, beginning at least as early as 1954. I wonder if this could also be the first instance of the British 'Comic Horror' genre?



Anybody care to guess which comic this interesting (if rather lame) strip appeared in?

- Phil Rushton